Frequently Asked Questions

What is Christian Leadership?

The uniqueness of Christian Leadership is that, regardless of where that leadership
is exercised – business, government, the church, family, etc. – it has as its foundation
a distinctively biblical worldview, and, with that worldview comes an unparalleled
role model, Jesus Christ. Christian Leadership is characterized by a desire to honor
Christ in the leadership process, to keep Him central in every aspect of leading and
of the organization being led. It values people as God’s image bearers, strives for
excellence as a reflection that the organization is working for God, uses God’s Word
as its primary resource, models a life that integrates faith throughout, and is continually
looking for appropriate opportunities to share Christ with those in his/her sphere
of influence. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Why is CSU putting such emphasis on Christian Leadership?

We live in a world being led by men and women whose preparation for leading and the
worldview from which they lead are either devoid of any Christian influence or actually
antagonistic to it. Charleston Southern is seeking to be at the leading edge of the
movement to provide a steady flow of next generation leaders – whatever their vocational
calling might be - who are equipped and committed to learning, leading and serving
from a distinctively biblical worldview. At the same time, CSU is uniquely positioned
to be a resource for both thought and marketplace / professional leaders whether they
be in Charleston, the Southeast or anywhere in the world. We can impact the world
today while we send out leaders for tomorrow.

Who is qualified to inform and educate people on this topic? What resources are available?

For more than a decade, CSU has been building a faculty and staff that are deeply
committed to the University’s vision of Learning, Leading and Serving from a biblical
worldview and to integrating our faith into all we do – in and out of the classroom.
This provides CSU with a wonderful team of amazingly competent and deeply committed
educational leaders equipped to educate and inform students how to become effective
Christian Leaders whatever their discipline of study might be.

The Executive Director of the Whitfield Center for Christian Leadership is a recognized
leader and speaker in the global workplace and leadership movement, having effectively
led three corporations and three nonprofit ministry organizations while speaking and
teaching in more than 20 countries

A new, state-of-the-art Whitfield Center with excellent space and resources for any
number of uses and events.

Relationships with more than 20 Marketplace / Leadership organizations, and with several
university centers whose purposes are synergistic with the Whitfield Center.

The Whitfield Center will establish a robust Resource Library, online presence and
Research Center

What are our mission and vision?

Mission: To equip individuals for leadership and service through the development of a biblical
worldview.

Vision: To become a recognized source of leaders for the next generation who live and lead
based on a worldview that is thoroughly biblical in content, transformational in nature,
universal in scope, and applicable in the marketplace.

What impact will the Whitfield Center have on our target groups – faculty/staff, students,
leaders outside the university?

Faculty/staff will be increasingly affirmed, equipped and confident in their role
in developing CSU’s students into effective, fruitful Christian Leaders when they
graduate.

Students will come to expect and experience intentional Christian Leadership development
as part of the value of a CSU education. As our program grows and student leaders
in the marketplace authenticate the effectiveness of our leadership focus, students
will become increasingly valuable when they step into their career callings.

As we expand our offerings and engage more leaders in Charleston and beyond, marketplace/professional
leaders will be affirmed and equipped, and their leadership will begin to change the
culture of companies and the city.

What is our strategy?

To equip and encourage our faculty and staff to equip and encourage our students,
so that CSU becomes a dependable provider of leaders for the Kingdom of God who

1) KNOW what they believe

2) LIVE what they know

3) STRATEGICALLY APPLY what they know and how they live for the building God’s Kingdom
wherever their calling might take them.

Conference InfoCenter

The 2nd annual Kingdom Business Conference is right around the corner, are you registered
to attend? Check out our schedule of events and register today.